Family’s wait for answers is over

A family’s three-year wait for answers following the death of a 92-year-old care home resident has come to an end.

And they have spoken of their distress following the death of Alma Davey in July 2013 after the conclusion of an inquest into the circumstances.

Last week a coroner ruled that Mrs Davey, who lived in Morley for 60 years, died after she was prescribed penicillin despite having a history of adverse reactions to the drug.

An earlier hearing at Bradford Coroners’ Court had been told she was prescribed the amoxicillin by a GP at Manorcroft Care Home in Dewsbury.

Mrs Davey’s family said in a statement: “To get where we are today at this inquest, over three and a half years after mum’s death, has been a long, difficult and distressing journey for the family.

“The family now have closure and can move forward with our lives.”

In a narrative verdict, assistant coroner Dominic Bell ruled that Mrs Davey, who had chronic liver disease, died of complications of sepsis, a lower respiratory tract infection and a reaction to amoxicillin.

Since Mrs Davey’s death the care home was taken over by Silverline Care.

The company said changes had been made to the storage of drugs and communication about prescribed medication and allergies.

Colin Inglis, Silverline Care’s chief operating officer, said: “Since we took over the management of the home, we have implemented our own Silverline Care policies and made a number of changes to ensure a tragic incident such as this will not happen again at Manorcroft.

“We take the safety of our residents very seriously, and focus on providing consistent high quality care to our residents and peace of mind to their families.”